The Miracle Called Migration
Most of our summertime birds will soon be gone, winging their way southward in an awe-inspiring annual ritual.
Entries by simpledesigns
“Dog days” are prime time for birds
Late summer is a time for birds to kick back a bit and catch their breath before it’s time to start preparing for winter.
August/September 2011
Join Tara Harris, Director of Conservation at the Minnesota Zoo, on Thursday, September 8th for her presentation on Namibia’s critically endangered black rhino and the vulnerable Hartmann’s mountain zebra | Audubon Minnesota’s third Annual Chimney Swift Sit | A Note from Our New President | Monthly Morning Walks | Spoonbilled Sandpiper in Danger
Feathery Foster Care
Some bird behavior is driven by instinct, some is learned through experience, and some just seems plain quirky.
A loud call and a flash of blue
It’s sometimes easier to hear kingfishers than see them, but it’s well worth a search to discover these handsome fishing birds.
Spring’s Cold Brought Bright Birds to Feeders
A colorful array of migrants—brilliant orange orioles, vivid blue buntings, black-white-and-pink grosbeaks—livened up our springtime backyards.
June/July 2011
Summer Butterfly Census | SPAS “Go Paperless” Campaign | Annual Fund Donors | Conversation News
Avian Architects
Raise the family in a birdhouse or on a branch? Birds have their own ideas about what’s best for their broods.
Call of the Wild
Bird songs are designed to attract a mate or repel a rival, but birds have other things they need to communicate. Pairs need to stay in contact, flocks confer back and forth and a bird that notices a potential attacker will issue a warning. For these and other purposes birds rely on calls—a repertoire of short, unmusical sounds that convey specific information. Unlike a bird’s song, much of which is learned, bird calls are instinctual, an innate means of communicating.
Spring is Robin Season
Spring moves toward us at its own plodding pace, “migrating” northward about 15 miles a day, a measure of the rate at which frost leaves the soil.
